Cumberland man shot, killed in apparent robbery

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CUMBERLAND — A Cumberland man was shot and killed during an apparent robbery at a store on the Hancock-Marion county line Monday night, according to police.

Two days after his 37th birthday, Gregory Raley was gunned down in front of the Dollar General store, located near the intersection of U.S. 40 and Carroll Road, which was also robbed Tuesday night.

Investigators say Raley was leaving the discount store when he was grabbed by one of the robbers, dragged into the parking lot and shot, according to a news release.

A manhunt for the suspects, who fled the scene on foot, took place Monday night and continued into Tuesday morning.

Around 4 a.m. Tuesday, Cumberland Police Department Chief Mike Crooke announced two people had been arrested, and that Raley’s death was being investigated as a homicide.

The shooting occurred around 9 p.m. Monday, records show.

A Cumberland Police Department officer was patrolling in the 12000 block of East Washington Street, near the Dollar General, and spotted the robbery in progress.

The officer watched as a man in the front of the business stopped and grabbed a customer, later identified as Raley, who was exiting the store and attempted to rob him.

As the officer pulled into the business’s parking lot, gunshots rang out and the suspect ran from the scene.

Officers found Raley lying on the ground with a gunshot wound. They administered first aid as paramedics rushed to the area. But their efforts to save Raley were unsuccessful, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police began to investigate and learned the Dollar General store was robbed around the same time the shooting occurred. That suspect, too, fled on foot.

Members of the Cumberland Police Department, Hancock County Sheriff’s Department and Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department set up a perimeter miles around the store to hunt for the suspects.

U.S. 40 near the county line was closed as police investigated the robbery and several announcements were made over police PA systems warning residents of the at-large suspects, records show. A drone was put into the sky to also assist with the search.

Over the course of the evening, four people were taken into custody and interviewed by police. Two arrests were made, according to Crooke. The suspects were not identified.

Charges are expected to be filed by the Marion County prosecutor’s office.

Cumberland has experienced an increase in business robberies in recent weeks, Crooke said. He has implemented additional security-check patrols around town. That’s why one of his officers happened to be near the Dollar General and spotted the robbery in progress late Monday, he said.

On Friday night, a Pizza King restaurant in the same block as Dollar General was robbed by three suspects dressed in all black, each wearing blue latex gloves. And the week before, a Speedway gas station at 10th Street and German Church Roard, about a mile-and-a-half away, was robbed at gunpoint by two individuals.

Those suspects have not been identified.

Cumberland has explored the idea of having a robbery safety class for the community. At date for such a meeting has not been set.